Park Ridge - Sequoia NF - "Instead we found bear tracks"

 We crossed CA 180 at Cherry Gap and drove up to the Park Ridge 4x4 road.

 We turned left heading north looking for a place to camp.

 But instead we found bear tracks.

 A small black bear had crossed the road. Maybe it would stop by our camp later for a game camera photograph.

 There were a couple of rocky sections on the road and I was trying to make this one look as difficult as possible. (wink)

 After a couple of miles driving north and not finding a good campsite we reversed direction and returned to the junction. In less than a mile of driving south we found a great campsite overlooking Hume Lake.

Hume Lake below our campsite.

Later in the afternoon the buildup over the eastern Sierra increased. Jan and I remembered the thunderstorms from last year's trip and longed for some rain.

 Dawn. Our first night at the new camp was uneventful. No visit from the bear whose tracks we had found on the road.

 After breakfast this squirrel was giving me a hard stare. Maybe trying to induce me to toss it another peanut.

 Buck Rock Lookout to the southeast.

 We both spent the day reading and relaxing. While reading "Early Days in the Range of Light: Encounters with Legendary Mountaineers" by Daniel Arnold I suddenly realized that at our location some of the mountains mentioned in the book would be visible.

I soon spotted Mount Clarence King to the east.

 Our camp later in the afternoon and not the best orientation for the solar panels. The array only received full sun for about three hours.

 Around dusk Jeremy and his son Micah stopped by to talk about 4x4 roads in the area.

Later that night I attempted a Milky Way photograph but found there were still a few clouds in the sky.

 Another sunrise at our Park Ridge camp and soon it would be time for us to move on.